What the Bible says about 'mortal sin'

I appreciated Dan Rodricks' insightful and compassionate column on the arguments against marriage equality being made by some church leaders, based on parts of the Bible that condemn homosexuality as "an abomination worthy of death" ("Same-sex unions: What would Jesus do?" Oct. 25).

As a student of the Old Testament, I examined the Book of Leviticus, from which that phrase is drawn, as well as other parts of the Bible. Sure enough, a man lying with another man commits a mortal sin.

But lo and behold: In the Book of Exodus, working on the Sabbath is also a mortal sin. Elsewhere in Leviticus, a man who eats shellfish or pork, or cuts his hair and beard, also commits acts worthy of death.

And anyone who plants two different crops in the same field, or wears clothes made from two different kinds of threads, must be punished by stoning, according to Leviticus.

Have any of these gentlemen ever had a haircut or worn a shirt made from a cotton-polyester blend? If so, I would suggest they look to their own salvation rather than judge and condemn others.